FCC: Communications situation in areas affected by Sandy improving

A utility crew works to restore power on Long Beach Island, N.J., Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, after communities on the island sustained damage from Superstorm Sandy. Frustration is setting in for some New Jersey residents who are still without power and running low on food. Some residents say too much attention is being paid to the Shore and not enough to working people who are hurting. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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Communication infrastructure damaged by Superstorm Sandy continues to improve, the FCC is reporting.

The FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which was activated Monday, is now covering only 146 counties – an improvement from the earlier 158 counties, FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau Chief David Turetsky said in a statement Friday.

He said that the reduced coverage of the DIRS means that network outages reported, however, no longer provide a direct comparison to previously reported numbers.

The system, according to a public notice released by the agency, is a “voluntary, web-based system that communications providers, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, cable and Voice over Internet Protocol providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness during times of crisis.”

He said that, as of 10 a.m. Friday morning, the number of cell site outages has “declined to 15 percent overall,” which is an improvement from the 25 percent reported on Tuesday.

As of Friday, Turetsky also said that the fuel situation for backup generators for cell sites is beginning to improve. The agency reported Thursday that it was working with federal, state and local authorities to speed up the delivery of fuel to the generators.